Bryce Dubois attaches the pins of a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer for his father, AZC Bart Dubois.

Pax River Command Master Chief John Stigler told the soon-to-be chiefs, ‘‘Throughout the past six weeks, you have been tried and tested. At times, it may have seemed pointless, but I assure you it is not. This process has been proven and refined for over 100 years.”

He continued, ‘‘You have been accepted by your fellow chiefs, and they proudly say to the officers they are accountable to, you are ready to be the Chief. You have earned the title of Chief Petty Officer.”

The six-week induction process, however, ‘‘is only the beginning, the basic tools for you to succeed as a chief,” Stigler said. ‘‘Your fellow chiefs are still there for you, to help you continue to fulfill your new leadership position.”

The pinning ceremony is, according to Stigler, ‘‘a time for us all to reflect back on what makes us the greatest fraternal organization in the world. It has proven again that when the Mess comes together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”

Pax River Commanding Officer Capt. Andy Macyko called it ‘‘particularly fitting” that so many family members were in attendance. ‘‘Your participation in this pinning ceremony demonstrates that family readiness does contribute to mission readiness,” he told them.

The U.S. Navy ‘‘is on watch and on call around the world,” said Macyko. ‘‘They are not just at sea. Many are serving in our world’s hot spots. Our U.S. Navy regularly deploys carrier or expeditionary strike groups to the Middle East and the Western Pacific. This week, 42 percent of our ships are at sea and 48 percent of our submarines are under way.”

He continued, ‘‘In the Middle East, our Navy is forward-deployed to sustain a forward operating presence operating near Iraq, Iran, and the Horn of Africa.” It conducts international exercises as well as ‘‘humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and goodwill visits to show the best of America to our overseas partners.”

The Navy is also busy ashore, said Macyko, taking on ‘‘a number of missions traditionally covered by land forces . . . filling many critical shortfalls of specialty skills wherever they are needed.” More than 15,000 officers and Sailors, including reservists, are serving ashore in the Central Command.

‘‘Our Navy is constantly adapting to a changing and complex world that requires deckplate leaders,” Macyko stated. ‘‘Our chief petty officers demonstrate the mental toughness, lead from the front, build teamwork and persevere against all odds — and they hold others to a high standard of excellence.”

Macyko congratulated the 20 chief-selects, saying the Navy is ‘‘about to instill in you a very special trust that is inherent in wearing the uniform of a chief petty officer. Your life has now changed. You have joined a distinguished fellowship, one in which you have a special responsibility to your junior and seniors, to your Navy and your country.”

He called on them to ‘‘always strive to embody the highest standards of professionalism, patriotism and courage of every Sailor who has ever become a chief over the last 114 years. You are our Navy patriots that I trust will provide that deckplate leadership and continue to serve in the finest naval tradition of excellence.”

Then-NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. Steven Eastburg noted that he grew up in a Navy family, and that his father’s stories of combat in the Pacific during World War II had in a prominent role ‘‘the Navy chiefs, and how they shaped and molded a young farm boy, and how their leadership kept morale high and the ship’s crew focused during those challenging times.”

The U.S. Navy ‘‘could have gone the way of many navies around the globe which were once great, but today are inconsequential,” said Eastburg. ‘‘What’s made the difference in our Navy? There’s little debate that what has made us great has been the strong leaders — officer and enlisted — that have served over the years.”

He continued, ‘‘As you’re making this transition from junior to senior enlisted leader, the future of our Navy is now being handed to you for your careful and wise leadership. When the Sailors in the shop, or on the ramp, or in the office, turn to look for the leader, their eyes will now fall on you.”

Eastburg said, ‘‘You will find very quickly, if you haven’t already, that everything rises and falls on leadership. You are now that leader.”

The traditional roles of chiefs are expanding and becoming more important, and Eastburg pointed to a visit to the African country of Mauritania. ‘‘We had the chance to discuss democracy with them and the role the military plays in civilian rule,” he said. ‘‘These generals appeared to fully agree with all these American perspectives, but four hours after we departed the country, the top military leaders with whom we met the day before overthrew the democratically-elected civilian government and seized control of the country. It was a dramatic reminder of how fragile democracy and freedom are.”

Eastburg told the soon-to-be chiefs, ‘‘You were selected not only for your past performance, but for what you can be expected to do for our Navy in the future. This is a high calling, and not one for the timid or faint of heart.”

His final words were for the spouses and families. ‘‘If any of us were totally honest, we’d admit that we are here because of the faithful support of our families,” Eastburg stated. ‘‘Thank you for enabling them to get to this point in their careers. In doing so, you have also served your country. We consider you important members of our extended Navy family.”

With that, the formal pinning began. Each first presented his or her ‘‘charge book” to the appropriate commanding officer to ensure that all requirements had been met. Family and friends then came forward to pin the anchors of the select’s new rank to the lapels of the new chief. The sponsoring chief then placed the ‘‘combination cover” on the new chief’s head, and offered congratulations.

Finally, the chief stepped forward to salutes, the ringing of two bells, and the announcing of ‘‘Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy, arriving.”

And walked into a career in khaki.